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Consumer Reports: Chevy Imapal tops 'large sedan' category.

The title and articles are a little confusing some of the news sites that I've seen (such as CNN). A bunch of news reports say that the new Chevy Impala received the 'best new sedan the magazine has tested' and 'earned highest score among all sedans tested', which I know is not true (the Tesla Model S was), but then they do go on to mention that the Chevy Impala got 95 out of 100 while the Model S got a 99 out of 100. So their articles are misleading I think unless I am misinterpreting something. But reading the press release itself says "revamped 2014 Chevrolet Impala has changed the landscape of Consumer Reports ratings by earning the top spot overall for all sedans" I guess ratings and ranking are different? Even though the Tesla Model S received a better score, the Impala beats it as best sedan? I don't get these category rankings.

"The influential consumer magazine said the redesigned 2014 Impala was not only
the top large sedan, with a score of 95 of a possible 100 points, but also among
the top-rated vehicles it has tested. Only Tesla's Model S hatchback (99 points)
and BMW's 135i coupe (97) scored higher."

To clarify, Consumer Reports divides sedans into four categories: Family, Upscale, Large, and Luxury. There is no separate category for hatchbacks, in spite of what CNN/Money says.

The Impala is at the top of the Upscale category and the Model S at the top of the Luxury category. The opening sentence of the article should have read... "the best new sedan the magazine has tested in the upscale category."

There's nothing misleading about it. CR counts Tesla as a hatchback. Therefore, Impala is the best sedan.

Anyway, for the patriotic brag we get to say this: Two of the best three cars on earth are American cars. Booyah!!!

And Tesla fan or not, one has to be impressed with the culture change at GM. They really are racking up the awards. They did really well in the JD Power Initial Quality Survey with two nameplates in the Top 5, and 8 segment notices. They just won 4 JD Power APEAL Awards. And the Cadillac ATS is picking up awards left and right. Then you add this recognition, and they've got to be feeling great.

As much as I like Tesla, I still like seeing other American automobile companies do well too. And maybe one day, twenty years in the future, following in Tesla's footprints they'll put out an Impala with a 500 mile range.

There's nothing misleading about it. CR counts Tesla as a hatchback. Therefore, Impala is the best sedan.

Anyway, for the patriotic brag we get to say this: Two of the best three cars on earth are American cars. Booyah!!!

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More accurately: Two of the best three cars on earth as judged by an American magazine are American cars. Booyah!!!

The "best" car varies by marketplace. In India, the Tata Nano might be judged to be one of the best cars, in China the same might be true of some car with a long wheel-base. In Europe, the most recent "best car of the year" award went to the VW Golf.

It's not surprising that car companies tend to make cars intended for the domestic market, and then try to sell them elsewhere, so naturally it is not unusual for awards to go to car companies based in the same region as the organisation handing out the award.

That said, I think the Model S deserves the acclaim it has received, it is a truly revolutionary car. I don't know about the Impala, though, as far as I know it isn't sold in Europe. It seems like a niche car for the US market.

That said, I think the Model S deserves the acclaim it has received, it is a truly revolutionary car. I don't know about the Impala, though, as far as I know it isn't sold in Europe. It seems like a niche car for the US market.

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GM does not do niches, billions in tooling costs (vs .5 billion for Model S) does not lend itself to a niche!

Let's see, GM will be delivering a niche Spark EV... so niche, that it will have a DC charge port with no place to plug in.

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If it's a CHAdeMO plug, there's one a couple of miles from where I live and others scattered about Ontario as well. Having said that, I'm not sure if the Spark EV is even coming to Canada or whether it's just a California compliance vehicle. It does also have a J1772 though.

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